1/26/2022

Client

  • Client: Maria Codlin

  • Department: Department of Anthropology

Project Description

Overall Goal

  • Understand roles of 4 kinds of animals in ancient economy at Teotihuacan Mexico


Specific Goals

  • Animals from BOAX and PATT had similar diets except Cottontails

  • Cottontails have two or more distinct diets

Data and Explaination

Variables

  • “Taxa”, “Site” and “Carbon and Nitrogen Level”

Explaination

  • “Taxa” : turkey, cottontails, deer, and hare

  • “Site” : BOAX, PATT (two closely related sites)

Carbon and Nitrogen Level

  • Stable collagen, apatite and nitrogen isotopes level

  • These isotopes enter bones by eating and reflect the values of animals’ diets

Explaination

  • Carbon isotopes reflect level of human-grown plants in animals’ diet

    • Carbon isotopes from collagen are protein derived.
    • Carbon isotopes from apatite (carbonate) reflect whole diet.

  • Nitrogen isotopes tell us about the protein value in animals’ diet.

Summary statistics

Goal and Plan

  • Make some EDA to compare the three isotopes levels in animals’ diet

  • Do t-test for the means and medians of isotopes levels.

  • Fit a mixed effect model to analyse animals’ isotopes levels.